Ambassador Đỗ Hùng Việt, Permanent Representative of Việt Nam to the UN, talks to the Việt Nam News Agency. — VNA/VNS Photo

NEW YORK — The UN General Assembly’s adoption of a resolution on the International Decade of Culture for Sustainable Development (2027-36) is a highly encouraging outcome, demonstrating the international community’s broad political commitment to further promoting the role of culture in development, Ambassador Đỗ Hùng Việt, Permanent Representative of Việt Nam to the UN, has said.

In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency, Việt said the resolution’s greatest significance lies in elevating culture to a more deserving position on the global development agenda.

Culture is often viewed primarily as something to be preserved and safeguarded, but it is also a source of creativity and identity, strengthens community bonds and livelihoods, and is becoming an increasingly important resource for development, he said.

In a world facing numerous divisions and challenges, culture also possesses a very special power; it can connect people and promote mutual understanding, tolerance and dialogue. The Decade provides a long-term framework for sustaining political attention and commitment and translating awareness into action, he added.

Over the next 10 years, countries, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the UN system and partners can strengthen cooperation, share experience, mobilise resources and integrate culture more greatly into development policies, contributing to a sustainable, inclusive and people-centred future, the ambassador went on.

According to Việt, the initiative also represents a concrete step to implement the Party and State’s guidelines on the role of culture and people in national development, including Politburo Resolution No. 80-NQ/TW, which identifies culture and people as the foundation, endogenous resources and an important driving force for development.

Building on these policies, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), in coordination with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and other relevant agencies, promoted the initiative through multilateral forums, first at UNESCO and later at the UN General Assembly.

The initiative once again demonstrates that multilateral diplomacy is a useful channel for conveying Việt Nam’s development priorities while connecting them with shared global concerns, he said. The Decade will also create more space for Việt Nam to share its values, stories and experience while accessing global knowledge, resources and successful models, thereby contributing to national development.

Việt noted the idea on the International Decade of Culture for Sustainable Development was developed by MOFA, particularly the Permanent Delegation of Việt Nam to UNESCO in Paris.

Việt Nam formally introduced the initiative at UNESCO in 2025 and promoted it through consultations, leading to its adoption by consensus at the UNESCO General Conference in November that year.

Building on that foundation, Việt Nam worked with Cyprus, Italy, Laos, Qatar and Saint Kitts and Nevis in New York to form a core group, conduct consultations and engage countries in bringing the initiative to the UN General Assembly.

The initiative responded to a shared concern over how culture can be better harnessed as a resource for development, social cohesion and dialogue amid global challenges.

More broadly, the outcome reflects Việt Nam’s increasingly proactive role at multilateral forums, the ambassador said, noting that the country is contributing more concrete initiatives, proposals and ideas while working with partners to promote dialogue, connectivity and consensus-building.

He expressed pride that the resolution adoption builds on recent achievements in Việt Nam’s multilateral diplomacy, including its presidency of the 11th Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the first-ever election of a Vietnamese representative as a judge of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.

These outcomes reflect the international community's growing recognition of and confidence in Việt Nam’s contributions, he said.

The adoption of the resolution is only the beginning as UNESCO will serve as the focal point for implementing the Decade.

Việt Nam will continue to actively participate in joint efforts by UNESCO, member states, the UN system and other partners to translate the Decade’s objectives into concrete programmes, initiatives and results, contributing to national development as well as peace and sustainable development worldwide, Việt added. — VNA/VNS